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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26229655">Bet</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/jay_writes_jemily/pseuds/jay_writes_jemily'>jay_writes_jemily</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Criminal Minds (US TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bets, Cute, F/F, Family Fluff, Fluff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 11:06:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,859</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26229655</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/jay_writes_jemily/pseuds/jay_writes_jemily</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>JJ and Emily bet on which team member will find out about their relationship first.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>147</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Choose</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Emily sighed heavily as JJ's arms tightened around her waist. With the beautiful blonde thrown over her chest, it was impossible to climb out of bed to face the day, especially when her fists tightened around handfuls of Emily's sleep shirt like she was afraid her girlfriend would leave in the night.  Even after their alarms had been turned off and their phones buzzed with the sound of their friends sending good morning texts to their group chat, JJ slept. </p><p>"Baby, we have to go to work." Emily murmured, trying again to escape JJ's grasp, but giving in when the blonde whimpered quietly in her sleep, holding tighter to her lover. "Jayje, your secret's gonna spread like wildfire if you don't get up. Penelope's gonna catch on the second we walk in. Late. On the same day."</p><p>"No, sleeping," JJ whined, nuzzling into Emily's neck. </p><p>"Jen." Emily tried to sound serious, but JJ was just so cute when she was just waking up. "We could tell them." </p><p>"Let me figure out job shit first." JJ sighed, the warm, half-asleep bubble popped.</p><p>"There's that vocabulary that got you your job." Emily teased. </p><p>"Shut up. Since I'm technically not a team member, we may be good. But since I'm technically not a team member..."</p><p>"Don't say you're disposable, or I swear, I will call Hotch and give him my two weeks." Emily insisted.</p><p>"I was <em>going</em> to say replaceable." JJ giggled. "But thank you, baby."</p><p>"Mhm, no one insults my girl." Emily kissed the top of JJ's head.</p><p>"We could call in sick," JJ suggested, eyes fluttering shut as Emily's fingers began to run through her hair. </p><p>"We could do that." Emily agreed."What would we say?"</p><p>"I'm sick, you're taking care of me." JJ shrugged.</p><p>"You know, you're too good at this. How do I know I'm not the only secret girlfriend you have?" Emily teased, reaching for her phone.</p><p>"I live with you." JJ deadpanned. </p><p>"Really? Hadn't noticed." Emily earned a smack to the shoulder for that, but she was already dialing Penelope's number. Hotch would be suspicious if a team member was sick without her knowledge.</p><p>"Hey," Emily couldn't hold back her smile as she answered the phone, JJ already almost asleep on her chest. "No, nothing too bad. JJ's sick. We think it was a stomach bug, but I'm bound to get it with all the time we spent together when Will was away, so I'm staying here to make sure she's okay. No, you shouldn't. It's probably contagious, remember, Henry was just sick? Yeah. We can't be three down, two's bad enough. I will. Promise. Yeah, here she is."</p><p>"Hey, Pen." JJ groaned inwardly at the idea of talking to anyone but Emily, she had been so close to falling asleep when Emily handed her the phone. </p><p>"Hey, angel. How're you feeling?" Penelope asked, her voice soft with worry. </p><p>"I'm ok. Tired, gross." JJ lied, snuggling into Emily's side. "Glad I have a pillow."</p><p>"She's so into you, I swear." Penelope sighed. "Do me a favor and spike a fever. Kiss her, and if she freaks out, pretend it was fever delirium." </p><p>"Not happening, but it might if I stay up. I'll call you tonight and let you know how I'm feeling, okay?"</p><p>"Sounds good. Need anything, just call. I can hack you millions!"</p><p>"I know, and I love you for your self-restraint. Night, PG." JJ handed the phone off to Emily and flopped back down, throwing herself over Emily again, this time, to sleep the day away.</p><p>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</p><p>"Hey, Jayje?" Emily murmured, fingers running gently through long, blonde hair. The blonde hummed in response, remaining comfortably still. "Who do you think would figure it out? If we didn't tell them?"</p><p>"Us?" JJ asked, earning a quiet hum of agreement. "Rossi. He's been married like six times."</p><p>"Really? I think it'd be Derek." Emily laughed lightly.</p><p>"He'd be either second or third, I think." </p><p>"Okay, you take two and I take two, and whoever finds out first wins," Emily announced.</p><p>"Who's left out?" JJ asked. </p><p>"Spence." Emily chuckled. The youngest member of their team, although an excellent profiler, wasn't the best at picking up on social cues.</p><p>"Fair. You pick first." JJ sat up to face her girlfriend.</p><p>"Derek."</p><p>"Rossi."</p><p>"PG."</p><p>"I let you pick first and you stick me with Hotch? How very rude of you." JJ teased, flopping onto her back next to Emily. "I win, I get to take you home. Home, home, to East Allegheny."</p><p>"I win, I get to take you to Paris." Emily smiled.</p><p>"That is so not even. And there's no way I'm letting you pay for all of that."</p><p>"Baby. I don't have to work." Emily insisted. "I didn't need to in college, I don't need to now, and I never will. I do it because I love it. Let me spend my useless money on you. Let me spoil you." Emily pleaded, pulling JJ into her arms.</p><p>"If you win." JJ relented.</p><p>"Yes! Paris!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Person One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>JJ and Emily are undercover as a couple at an amusement park to catch a homophobe turned serial killer. They're a little too good at pretending.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Prentiss, Jareau, check-in, over." The sound of Hotch's voice in their hidden comms was almost reassuring. Being unsub bait wasn't their favorite use of a perfectly good Friday evening. </p><p>"All good, Hotch." JJ leaned into Emily as the arm around her waist pulled her closer.</p><p>"We're fine, Dad." Emily deadpanned, earning a quiet snort from the woman tucked into her side.</p><p>"Behave, Prentiss. Keep an eye out." Hotch warned Emily, but they could hear Morgan's snickering in the background, and that was enough validation for Emily.</p><p>"We'll be home by eleven, sir." Emily's wide smirk made JJ roll her eyes, but she didn't bother scolding her secret girlfriend. "Wanna go on rides, babe?"</p><p>"Only if you promise to hold my hand on the scary ones." JJ teased, batting her eyelashes at Emily, who just pressed a kiss to JJ's lips before leading the blonde toward a Ferris wheel. The brunette smiled to herself when JJ fell silent, no doubt blushing a deep red at the public affection they were never allowed.</p><p>"If the unsub is looking for couples, we go on the cheesiest couple ride there is," Emily murmured, turning JJ gently so that she could find blue eyes and flushed cheeks. "You're blushing, Jay."</p><p>"Shuddup," JJ mumbled, dropping her head onto Emily's shoulder. </p><p>"Now that's no way to treat your <em>girlfriend</em>, is it, Jennifer?" Emily scoffed dramatically, a hand over her heart for the full effect. </p><p>"My<em> girlfriend </em>is acting like an ass." JJ rolled her eyes.</p><p>"Sure. I bet this girlfriend is very mean." Emily deadpanned. </p><p>"Very." JJ nodded curtly in agreement, unable to contain the dopey grin that spread across her face. Emily laughed, unable to resist kissing JJ again, then again, and again. "Line's moving, baby."</p><p>"Ugh, why'd we have to go out?" Emily whined petulantly, moving up with the line and wishing they could kiss until the morning came. </p><p>The wait was surprisingly short, and Emily showed the operator their wristband for rides. When they were both comfortably seated, JJ took Emily's hand in hers and squeezed it, leaning over to kiss the older woman's cheek. </p><p>Tonight didn't feel like some dumb, forced mission, and they could almost forget their friends watching and listening to them. As the ride began to move, Emily sighed happily, draping an arm over JJ's shoulders. </p><p>"I kind of feel like a zoo animal." JJ frowned, resting her forehead against Emily's temple.</p><p>"At least you're a cute zoo animal." Emily smiled, running her thumb up and down against JJ's hip.</p><p>"What a charmer." JJ chuckled, rolling her eyes. </p><p>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</p><p>Hand in hand, JJ and Emily made their way through every ride at the fair. At the last one, JJ was half asleep, curled into Emily's side and pressing light kisses to the side of the brunette's neck. When they got off, Emily led JJ to one of the food stands that served coffee and ordered both of them larges. Emily earned a kiss when she remembered JJ's order (caramel macchiato with extra whipped cream and a double shot of espresso), and they found a stand selling huge slices of pizza. When they both had their dinner, they found a grassy area with a tree, and before JJ could keep walking to find a table, Emily was sitting on the ground, smiling up at her. </p><p>"We could sit at a table," JJ smirked, plopping down despite her reservations.</p><p>"Or we could sit alone and display ourselves like zoo animals." Emily teased, leaning forward and connecting their lips in a lingering kiss. "And maybe do a little of that."</p><p>"Behave." JJ insisted, but Emily knew the words were empty. </p><p>"Whatever you say." Emily laughed, holding up her arm so that JJ could tuck back into her side. </p><p>"I happen to remember being offered kisses." JJ raised an eyebrow, earning the cutest little giggle from Emily.</p><p>"Whatever the lady requests," Emily mumbled, cupping JJ's face and pressing a kiss to her lips. </p><p>"Agents, don't react, we have eyes on the suspect." Hotch's deep voice almost made JJ jump back instinctually, but they were bait for an armed and dangerous serial killer, and JJ was not going to be the reason he got away. Emily wrapped an arm around JJ's waist protectively, and for a second, JJ was <em>terrified.</em> Emily was trying to cover her, she was making sure if anything went wrong, she was the vulnerable one, but that was less than comforting. </p><p>"Suspect approaching, agents."</p><p>JJ pulled back, hands gripping Emily's shirt. Emily brushed a strand of hair out of JJ's face, kissing her forehead gently. Behind Emily, JJ spotted Derek sprinting at them, and she smiled. </p><p>"Suspect apprehended." Derek had tackled the unsub and was already cuffing him. "Good job, agents."</p><p>"Thanks, Hotch." Emily sighed, her head dropping onto JJ's shoulder. </p><p>"Let's go home. Please." JJ allowed her eyes to fall shut, reveling in the moment of domesticity. </p><p>"Yes, ma'am," Emily muttered, her head buried in JJ's neck.</p><p>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</p><p>"You two are a really cute couple," Derek smirked, climbing into the front seat of the van JJ and Emily had claimed. </p><p>"Ha, ha, Morgan. Let's just head back to the hotel." JJ rolled her eyes. Her heart was racing as she <em>prayed</em> her lipstick wasn't smudged and studied Emily.</p><p>"Your lipstick is smudged. C'mon, no one is that good at faking being a couple." Derek shot back. </p><p>"Em, help." JJ frowned. Emily giggled, carefully fixing JJ's lipstick. </p><p>"He's got us. I win." Emily smirked, placing a kiss on JJ's lips. "Paris!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Person Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Emily was already two beers into the night, and Penelope still hadn't shown. In a booth in the back corner of the bar, she sighed, turning so that her back was against the wall and her legs were thrown over JJ's lap. JJ just patted her girlfriend's thigh, still frowning down at the screen of her phone. She'd sent Penelope half a dozen texts and called her twice as many times, but there was still no response. A little buzzed and a little bored, Emily leaned forward, pressing kisses to the side of JJ's neck. </p><p>"Emily, stop." JJ mumbled, pressing call on Penelope's contact again.</p><p>"She's fine. It's a Friday and we're in DC. Traffic." Emily pressed one lest kiss to JJ's cheek before leaning back against the wall. </p><p>"I know." JJ frowned, turning to Emily with a sigh. "I just worry."</p><p>"You don't have to be the one to worry all the time." Emily murmured, tucking hair behind her girlfriend's ear.</p><p>"It's my default." JJ shrugged.</p><p>"I have another default for you." Emily smirked, bottom lip between her teeth.</p><p>"I wonder what that is?" JJ batted her eyelashes innocently, a smile on her lips when Emily's cheeks flushed. </p><p>"Would you like to see it?" Emily asked. </p><p>"Maybe I wou-" JJ couldn't even finish her sentence before Emily was kissing her, a hand in her hair as the brunette smoothly maneuvered herself to straddle JJ's lap. JJ gripped Emily's hips, holding her body close as they kissed, drinking Emily in. </p><p>And then Emily's teeth found JJ's bottom lip.<em> Fuck. </em>JJ moaned into Emily's mouth, which the older woman took advantage of, her tongue entering JJ's mouth. Nothing fed Emily's god complex like having JJ squirming beneath her with nothing but a kiss. </p><p>"So, good distraction?" Emily pulled away, earning a laugh from her girlfriend.</p><p>"I think we may need to try again." JJ suggested. "I'm not really sure how I feel."</p><p>"The lady gets what the lady wants." Emily mumbled, her lips meeting JJ's in another passionate kiss, wasting no time before deepening it. JJ's hands migrated to her ass, and Emily thought she might combust. </p><p>And then JJ's phone buzzed on the table.</p><p>"Ignore it." Emuly mumbled, pressing hot kisses down her girlfriend's neck.</p><p>"It could be Penelope, and if she can't make it, we go home." JJ replied, reaching blindly for her phone. "Hey, Pen, where are you?"</p><p>"I'm here, looking for you." Penelope was speaking loudly over the same song playing in the bar.</p><p>"We're at that booth in the back corner." JJ scooted Emily off of her, immediately missing the warmth. </p><p>"I knew it! Morgan owes me like $50!" Penelope squealed.</p><p>"What?" JJ asked, her confusion increasing when Penelope ended the call without answering. </p><p>"I knew you two were fucking, there was no way you weren't!" Penelope squealed. </p><p>"Ha! I won two times! I keep my apartment!" Emily exclaimed. "You're moving in!"</p><p>"You two bet moving in on who found out first?" Penelope asked.</p><p>"No, we bet our vacations on who found out first. We bet whose house to move into on who found out second." JJ corrected her. "If you tell anyone but Morgan, I swear. This is my only fun."</p><p>"Wait, we need to reevaluate. I have Spencer and you have Hotch and Rossi. That's uneven."</p><p>"You won twice! Keep him." JJ insisted.</p><p>"No! Besides, that way if he finds out, we can't keep going," Emily whined.</p><p>"Fine, who do we kick out? Spencer again?"</p><p>"Hotch," Emily smirked. "He's gonna be last."</p><p>"Fine. Spencer or Rossi?" </p><p>"Rossi." </p><p>"Oh, you're on."</p><p>"Still here!" Penelope chimed. "Still want to get wasted."</p><p>"We're not." JJ smirked. "Last night of freedom until my mom gets here and we're sleeping apart for a week."</p><p>"I'm calling Morgan. Go have fun." Penelope matched JJ's wicked grin and pulled out her phone. Emily didn't need to be told twice.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Sandy Jareau</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's short, but I love it so much.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They'd barely made it into the apartment before Emily pinned JJ to the wall, sucking marks into JJ's neck and extracting as many whimpers as she could from her girlfriend's lips. She already knew they weren't making it to bed by the desperate way JJ was grinding against the thigh pressed between her legs, and she loved how crazy could make the blonde. Emily was holding her up, knees having buckled the second they made it in the door.</p><p>"God, Em!" JJ's head hit the wall with a loud <em>thunk</em>, but neither of them had the capacity to worry about whether or not it hurt. "We should...go to bed." </p><p>"You should look around your apartment before you assume it's empty." JJ froze, hands gripping Emily's shoulders tighter. </p><p>"Please don't tell me..." Emily whispered, hiding her face in JJ's neck. </p><p>"Hi, Mom." JJ mumbled, feeling like a horny teenager getting caught in the car with her boyfriend. "You're early." </p><p>"Fuck." Emily set her girlfriend down gently, frantically re-buttoning her blouse. "Hi, Sandy."</p><p>"Hello, girls." Sandy was smiling a little too smugly, and Emily wanted to die. </p><p>"You didn't think to warn me?" JJ sighed, running a hand through her hair, fingers grazing the spot where her head hit the wall and earning a wince. </p><p>"Oh, shit, babe, you hit the corner of that picture frame. Let me look." Emily turned her girlfriend around, fingers gently moving perfect blonde hair out of the way. "At least it's not bleeding."</p><p>"Are you going to comment on how I caught you with your coworker, or are we just going to ignore it?" Sandy cocked an eyebrow, and Emily suddenly saw the resemblance everyone else did. </p><p>"Emily's my girlfriend." JJ's shrug was casual, and she just walked into the kitchen casually, headed for her wine glasses. "We haven't eaten yet, and my fridge is still empty from the case. Chinese takeout?" JJ looked to Emily, the silent request hanging between them. <em>Stay?</em></p><p>"You know I'm always down for Chinese." Emily smiled, making her way into the kitchen behind her girlfriend. "Red or white, Sandy?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Person Three, Part One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>JJ's late to date night, and when Emily gets a knock on the door, she assumes her girlfriend forgot her key. JJ isn't the one at the door.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Emily lit her last candle with a small smile, stepping back to take in the atmosphere she;d created. The lights were dimmed, candles littering the kitchen and living room. Her little kitchen table was covered with a deep red tablecloth, set for two. The apartment was cleaner than it had been since she’d moved in, and she was proud of herself. She’d made JJ’s favorite spaghetti, and it had taken hours to get the sauce just right.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Their standing friday night dates were usually laid-back, chill movie nights and take-out, but Emily had been planning this for weeks. JJ deserved to be spoiled, and she was more than happy to be the one who did it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Emily checked the mirror again, studying the red dress she’d dug out of the back of her closet. It was usually reserved for weddings or special events, but this felt more than worthy of her nicest dress. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At ten minutes past seven, Emily was </span>
  <em>
    <span>fine</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Just because JJ usually wasn’t late didn’t mean she wasn’t just late now. Just because JJ was overly, almost obsessively punctual, didn’t mean she was hurt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seven-thirty came, and Emily was vibrating with anxiety. There was no way JJ was going to be casually late now, and Emily had no clue what it could be. Traffic? Burst pipe? Car crash? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eight o’clock, and Emily was out of her mind. JJ hadn’t answered a single one of Emily’s thirty-two calls, or responded to the fifty texts. Something was wrong, and Emily needed to know what. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ten more minutes,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Emily told herself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Just wait ten mote minutes, then call Penelope.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Six times, Emily had waited anxiously for ten minutes to pass. Five times, she’d told herself just to wait for JJ before she called. It was nine o’clock now, and Emily could not handle another ten seconds, let alone another ten minutes.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What can I do for you, my favorite off-duty woman in red?” Penelope’s tone was too chipper, and it made Emily want to cry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I need you to track JJ’s phone.” Emily’s voice shook, and she didn’t have the energy to beat herself up about vulnerabilty right now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Isn’t she with you?” Emily could hear the frown in JJ’s voice. “She’s supposed to be.”’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, she’s two hours late, and she’s not answering any of my texts.” Emily sighed. “I’m really worried, this isn’t like her.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can track her, hold on…” Penelope announced. “I have an automatic trace on her work phone which is… still at work. She’s not there, she texted me when she left, so let me try her personal.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Garcia, I love you, but I really don’t care what you’re doing as long as you find her.” Emily replied shortly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s off or something. Listen, I’m going to keep doing my hacker things that I can explain later, but I promise, you’ll get an update the second I have something.” Penelope explained gently. “Do you want me to stay on the phone?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, its fine, Pen. I’ll talk to you later. “ Emily ended the call before Penelope could say another word, too tense for the reassurance that was definitely coming next.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At ten o’clock, Emily was almost certain JJ was hurt. Or kidnapped. Or worse. She couldn’t stop the endless bad possibilities from flowing. It was going to make her crazy, but she didn’t care. Was JJ’s work cell at work because she’d been taken? Was it there because she was shot? Or was it there because she’d forgotten it? The last option was the most realistic, but that wasn’t any help. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She distracted herself by finally putting dinner away, too worried to actually eat any of it. Besides, she’d much rather eat it with JJ, whenever that was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At eleven, Emily was starting to think she may have been stood up. If she’d been in a car accident, Penelope would have found her name in hospital databases. If she’d been kidnapped, the car would’ve been found abandoned. Nothing made sense other than the fact that Emily was alone in her nicest clothes with a ring that was meant for someone who didn’t want it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Midnight rolled around, and Emily finally let tears fall. JJ was officially five hours late, and there was no good explanation. Emily surveyed the room once more, finding that the candles had burnt out, smoke blowing into the air and smelling up the room. The once-romantic dim lighting felt depressing as Emily hauled herself off of the couch and up the stairs into her bedroom. She found her favorite pair of sweatpants tucked away in one of her drawers and one of JJ’s hoodies in the bottom drawer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Emily was about to climb into bed, makeup be damned, when she heard someone knocking on her door. Despite her previous thoughts, she raced down the stairs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“JJ? Is that you, baby? Did you forget your key? I was so worried you were hurt or something!” She swung the door open, expecting to find the blonde woman that had occupied her thoughts for the better part of five and a half hours.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi.” Spencer’s voice was an octave higher than normal when he saw the descheveled version of Emily Prentiss before him. Her makeup was a mess, mascara staining her cheeks and lipstick having been rubbed off long ago. Normally perfect hair was thrown into a messy ponytail, and she was wearing </span>
  <em>
    <span>sweats</span>
  </em>
  <span>, which he never thought he’d see on her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey. Sorry, I was expecting someone else.” Emily murmured, forcing her tears back. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, JJ’s at the hospital.” Spencer replied slowly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Emily was yelling, but she didn’t care. “How long have you known? You couldn’t call? I’ve been waiting almost six hours, and you’re here </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We found out half an hour ago! Penelope called me to pick you up. JJ told her not to let you drive.” Spencer explained quickly. “I can see why.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure. I’m going to call JJ.” Emily mumbled, pulling out her phone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can I help with anything?” Spencer asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, you’re fine. I shouldn’t be too long.” Emily sighed, glancing up from her phone. “Make yourself at home.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Her phone doesn’t work, call Penelope!” Spencer called after his retreating friend.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, honey.” JJ answered Penelope’s phone knowingly. “I’m fine, promise.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, I know, babe. I just wanted to know if you wanted anything before I head out. Pajamas, food?” Emily asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’d you make?” JJ asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Spaghetti.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes! And some sweats, please. Oh! My pillow. I’m here for a couple nights. And you.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course. I’ll be there in like ten minutes, ok?” Emily murmured. “I love you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I love you too.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
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